A large ship, owned by Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts, lay docked near the normally bustling docks of Penacony. No one dared to approach the ship, choosing instead to remain hidden in their homes in fear of the pirate crew. Not a single living soul could be found on the streets, and the city held its collective breath as they waited for the crew to depart.

The pirate crew Stratagems had developed a reputation for itself as unpredictable and dangerous risk-takers, a behavior helmed by their captain, Aventurine. It seemed that no matter how risky the gamble was or how much the odds were stacked against him, Aventurine would always manage to win it all. Rumored to be blessed by Lady Luck, it seemed that all rules twisted in his favor, and each hand he drew would always be the winning hand. Aventurine expanded his reach and power each time he cheated death, and as his name grew, it became feared across the seas. His exploits would be recounted to children as warnings, and the bounty on his head continued to grow larger and larger.

Aventurine smirked to himself as he walked through the silent streets of Penacony, hand toying with the set of dice he always carried around with him.

The streets looked much smaller than they did in his childhood memories. The market stalls that had seemed impossible to climb over now only came up to his waist, and the streets that seemed impossibly long could now be crossed in just a minute or two.

Aventurine came to a stop at the base of the large castle in the center of the island. He tossed the dice he held into the air, catching them in his hand. Opening his fist, he smiled as twelve dots were revealed. Boxcars. Bolstered by the good fortune, he walked forward, beginning to scale the walls of the castle. Like the dice had foretold, the climb was an easy one and Aventurine soon arrived outside the window of the one he had returned for.

Within your room, you remained at your desk, book in hand and none the wiser to his presence.

Aventurine’s grin got wider. Rapping his knuckles once against the stone of the windowsill, he leaned inside, hand outstretched towards you.

“I’ve come to whisk you away, my dear.”

You turned to look at him, and Aventurine was transported back to the past.

Each day, he would wait beside a hole in the castle’s wall as you snuck past your guards and maids to join him outside the castle. From there, you went on adventures within the town. Aventurine would pretend to know more than he did about everyone and how things functioned in the marketplace, but as a common street urchin, he could do nothing more than make sure that no one recognized him so he can enjoy the time with you. Back then, he wanted nothing more than to buy you anything you wanted, but without any money, he was unable to do so. Finally, in the quiet moments of night before you had to return, Aventurine would lie with you in the grassy field near the castle.

He remembered vividly how you would reach your hand out towards the starry sky, musing about your dream to explore the world instead of being confined within the castle’s walls.

He wanted to grant your wish back then too.

Now, as the feared Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts, he’s returned to grant your wish.